The moment your athlete goes down during a training session or game holding their ankle/foot, athletic trainers brace for the worst and hope for the best. By the time we can run out onto the field or court to quickly and thoroughly evaluate the extent of injury sustained, we begin to think ahead and plan the rehab that will be necessary to return the athlete to full play.

ACL injuries can be devastating to a soccer players competitive season. For this reason, reputable medical institutions like the Cincinnati Sportsmedicine Foundation and Santa Monica Orthopedics have designed and published ACL prevention protocols. These programs focus on preventing injuries and enhancing athletic performance. The concentration of these programs is placed on stretching, strengthening, plyometrics, and agilities. The following article will discuss important concepts in preventing ACL injuries, and make recommendations for implementing prevention into your teams training.

Tightly wrapping a muscle/tendon, joint, or all at the same time with an overlapping rubber floss band (usually latex, approximately 2″x7′) compresses the underlying tissue. The wrapped area is taken through a full range of motion (ROM) using open chain movements, followed by closed chain functionally specific movements.

The nature and the demands of the sport constantly challenge soccer players to fight muscle imbalances that often lead to injury. By constantly using the same muscle groups, especially around the body’s midsection and about the hip joints, soccer players need daily preventive and ongoing treatment routines and strategies to address such issues. This is precisely why the use of a Pilates Reformer can be of great benefit for professional soccer athletes.

Vitamin D has been widely discussed in athletics now for some time for its wide ranging benefits. From bone health to possible protection from high blood pressure and cancer, its benefits and having normal blood levels far outweigh the risks.

This is a medical adage that applies to Sports Medicine and predates modern movement screens, dynamic warm-ups, ankle taping, and electrolyte beverages. When I look back at my career that started as a freshmen Athletic Training Student to where I stand today, I look at the amount of time I’ve spent surrounding injuries and the vast majority has been spent caring for injuries and waiting for them to happen. Of course there has been plenty of time spent on organizing and executing PPEs, counseling and directing nutritional programs, coordinating care with medical providers, and counseling athletes and coaches on return to play procedures. Yet a large majority of time has been spent between pre-practice time therapy and taping, practice or games rehabbing and watching players for signs of injuries, and post-practice evaluating, communicating, and cleaning.